"Peter Freewheel - Argol the Barbarian" - читать интересную книгу автора (Freewheel Peter)

ARGOL THE BARBARIAN
Peter Freewheel
Argol remembered what Professor Noveski had said when they landed on this planet, and found that it
was passing through a period of evolution roughly between that of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of
Earth. He also remembered what the Captain had said when he'd found that the main rocket drive had
developed a major fault. But most of all, he remembered how one by one the crew of the ship had been
killed off, as they'd waited for help from one of the nearest Terran bases; help that never came.

It was over five years ago now, that they'd been marooned here. The hull of the 'Explorer 12' had sunk
into the soft marshy ground over three years ago, but he still remembered. He had to remember, for it
was all that remained of his links with Earth and civilisation. His clothes were pieces of animal skin, and
the food he ate was harvested or hunted. Even the Terran weapons had become useless over the years,
and now all he had to defend himself with was a bow and arrow and a long handled spear, though little
use they were against the mighty reptiles that ruled the planet.

Strangely closely following Terra's pattern of development, the planet, known only as a grid reference on
Earth's exploration maps, was passing through the period when huge reptiles ruled the planet and
smashed everything else, and each other to pieces in their violent struggle for existence. Argol had seen
many species that were virtually identical to those that had trampled across Earth many millions of years
ago. The only difference seemed to be their size. He had seen a Diplodocus type creature in the interior
swamps that must have been five hundred feet long, and had himself narrowly escaped from a
Tyrannosaurus that had towered a hundred feet in the air. Fire was his only defence against an attacking
reptile, but some, despite their size, were so stupid, that they trampled forward regardless of the danger.
That was how Professor Noveski had met his death. Having survived a year against the meat eating
monsters, whose claws could rip your body apart in one motion, he had finally been trampled to death by
a vegetarian reptile that was trying to escape from a Tyrannosaurus.

Usually Argol remained close to his cave, whose narrow opening protected him at night from all but the
smallest creatures, and these were kept at bay by a row of atomic powered searchlights that he had
salvaged from the ship.

But at the moment, he was rushing through the fern covered swamplands, heedless of any danger that
lurked in the dense undergrowth.

While he had been standing at his cave mouth, he'd heard a sound that he hadn't heard for five years - the
roar of atomic motors. When he'd looked up into the sky, he'd seen the unmistakable trail of a ship's
landing jets blasting. Had the rescue party arrived after all these years?

Suddenly a chill ran through his body as he heard a roar of animal hatred close by, followed by a crashing
of undergrowth. He looked around. From where the sound came, a Megalosauras charged towards him.
His heart sank. Having survived five years in this prehistoric hell, was he now to be killed when possible
salvation was perhaps only a few minutes walk away?

He realised that it was futile to try and run, the huge ninety foot creature could take one step to his ten.
As he looked around, he heard an answering roar, and accompanied by a crashing of undergrowth,
another reptile came lumbering through the spongy fern covered marshland. Argol's hopes were raised as
he realised that he was just a bystander to a battle between two Megalosaurases. For a moment, he
wondered which way he should run, as the two reptiles charged towards each other, roaring snarls of
war. He was about halfway between the two warring creatures, and obviously this wasn't a very safe
place to remain. He ran to what he considered to be a marginally safe distance, and turned to watch in